Platinum demand to increase in 2019

The World Platinum Investment Council's latest Platinum Quarterly indicates that the 2019 forecast shows a market surplus of 455 koz, 10% lower than the surplus in 2018.

This is due to a 1.6% increase in supply and a 2.4% increase in demand.

The publication is the first independent, freely-available, quarterly analysis of the global platinum market.

This report includes a forecast for 2019 and incorporates analysis of platinum supply and demand for the third quarter of 2018, full-years 2018 and 2019.

2019 forecast

2019 demand growth will be driven mainly by chemical and petroleum demand reflecting economic growth, and a doubling in investment demand as a rebound in ETFs adds to robust bar and coin demand.

Challenges remain in the automotive sector as European diesel appetite continues to decline on negative consumer sentiment, driven by uncertainty regarding diesel car restrictions in some European cities.

Automotive demand is assumed to remain on its downward trajectory but at a slower rate.

"Demand for bars and coins in 2018 has shown a strong trend, at 210 koz year-to-date, up 45% year-on-year, which we believe has been aided by our product development efforts, and platinum’s significant discount to gold.

"New platinum investment products and services have been made possible through our strong partnerships with The Royal Mint, Tanaka , Valcambi, GraniteShares and BullionVault plus, most recently from our Shanghai office, Hengfu and Taiyuan.

"2018 is proving to be a tough year for platinum as our Q3 report shows, especially as the automotive sector remains subdued.

"However, we believe we can look forward to a number of promising trends in 2019," he continues.

2018

The report predicts that mining supply in 2018 will fall by 1% from 2017.

Weakness primarily in Russia will offset the small 15 koz production increase in South Africa, driven by a decrease in operational disruptions from last year.

The update on 2018’s platinum supply and demand forecast raises the surplus from 295 koz to 505 koz, primarily on weaker jewellery demand.

Global demand for platinum is expected to fall by 4% in 2018 year-on-year, however with a number of positive indicators identified.

Industrial demand is up 8%, driven by an 85% year-on-year increase in demand from petroleum, and a 19% increase in demand from glass.

The expected rebound from petroleum comes after a weak 2017, on the back of refinery capacity shutdowns in Japan that have now passed.

The glass demand increase is due to new plants coming online this year in China and RoW.

Double digit growth in Indian jewelry partially offsets reduced consumer spending and competition from low carat gold jewelry in China, leaving jewelry demand down by an expected 2% for 2018.